Consideration for State government on attack at UTLA camp
Imphal, the 19th September, 2017
Even as we, the Thadou Students’ Association - General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ), strongly condemn the brutal attack on the United Tribal Liberation Front (UTLA) Peniel Camp by heavily armed miscreants on 17 September, 2017 wherein three persons, including an innocent young pregnant woman, were gruesomely murdered, we would like to spell out our serious concerns and some facts for due consideration by the State government. We have yesterday submitted a memorandum in this regard to the chief minister, Shri. N Biren Singh, but no response till now.
Acting on good faith and in full confidence with the government, UTLA/UTLF came forward to join the mainstream, although there was an element of risk to their lives. UTLA/UTLF had surrendered to the Govt. of India and Govt. of Manipur on 17 July, 2013 and signed an MoU.
However, the government has so far neglected UTLA/UTLF and not taken up any significant steps to rehabilitate and protect them as agreed in the MoU. Instead, a team of State police led by Superintendent of Police, Jiribam on 27 July, 2017 raided UTLA/UTLF peace camp and seized all the arms and ammunition issued by the government for self-defence, dumping them like a rubbish to fall prey to some armed groups or miscreants as it has happened.
As per point 2 of the MoU, security forces comprising of Army, Para Military Forces and State Police are not supposed to launch any operations against UTLA/UTLF. Point 10 envisages that security of the settlement village, that is, Peniel Camp, is the State government’s responsibility. Further, point 11 states that the Security forces shall visit the settlement village from time to time. The government evidently have not honoured these and other points of the MoU.
The UTLA/UTLF are no longer an underground group. If any of the cadres were found involved in unlawful activities like extortion, kidnapping, possessing unauthorised arms etc., he/she should be dealt as per law of the land (as stated in the MoU). If the security forces are claiming that UTLA/UTLF cadres were involved in unlawful activities, we would like to question if they have been dealt with as per the law or got them attacked and killed by some other armed people.
As stated in the objective of the surrender & rehabilitation scheme, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the militants who have surrendered do not find it attractive to join militancy again. But what has the government done with UTLA/UTLF who have been caught in a difficult situation between moving forward or being forced to go back underground due to the non-committal and indifferent attitude of the government authority?
Instead of trying to find fault with the UTLA/UTLF, the government must accept and take full responsibility for the incident and fulfill the MoU with a sense of urgency. Making the MoU a reality will regain the confidence of the people on the government or else the government will be considered as untrustworthy or having an ulterior motive and not genuinely interested in a peaceful solution.
Given these circumstances, we hold the government solely responsible for the incident, and place the following points before the government for due consideration and immediate action:
a. That, the government provides ex-gratia and a government job each to the next of kin of the three deceased.
b. That, the government punishes all those involved and responsible in the killing according to the law of the land and an inquiry into the incident be initiated.
c. That, the Superintendent of Police, Jirbam, be suspended or transferred.
d. That, the government provides full rehabilitation, safety and protection to all UTLA/UTLF cadres and their families.
e. Take necessary measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Should the government fail to fulfill the above points of demand within 24 hours, TSA will be compelled to launch an intense agitation until justice is delivered. Until and unless the government fulfils the demand, the dead bodies, which are still lying at the Jiribam district hospital morgue, will not be taken for burial.
Sd/-
(THANGTINLEN HAOKIP)
Secretary Joint
Thadou Students’ Association
* This Press Release was sent to e-pao.net by Thadou Students' Association who can be contacted at tsaghq(AT)gmail(DOT)com
This Press Release was posted on September 20 2017
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